Diana Vasileva

Hi! I couldn't find any info online about the polymerization of refined linseed oil. I am about to do the earthen floors with oil and beeswax and the refined oil is a lot cheaper than the cold-pressed. Like 6 times. Does anyone have any idea whether refined oil will work as well as cold-pressed to make a nice waterproof layer over the earthen floors?

Hi everyone,

We have decided finally to insulate our brick house on the exterior with reed panels that are 5cm thick and since this is not enough we want to use some kind of insulative plaster. We have an abundance of perlite in Bulgaria, so we are thinking to do a layer of perlite plaster under the reed panel and another one over it. Not sure how thick we can make it without the risk of it falling out. We are looking for a recipe for the perlite plaster. Anyone have experience with exterior wall plaster made of perlite?

Thanks,
Diana

The house is now brick (25cm thick) WE prefer to plaster on top of the rockwool as it is cheapest, but is it enough to fix it to the wall without gluing it to the wall or with non-toxic glue if there is any that we can make/

Hello!

I need some advice on exterior insulation. After researching breathable materials for months on end, the only breathable material I found that's offered in my country (Bulgaria) is rockwool. They recommend installing rockwool with 'special' glues (For sticking on the wall) and plasters to be put on top of it (supposedly much lighter than sand and lime mixture). I would rather not use these glues that are toxic but they say that using only screws is not enough. I am wondering:

1. about the toxicity over the long run of rockwool (the dust that can be dispersed from it and breathed in)
2. whether I can use an alternative non-toxic, breathable mixture (clay?lime? caseine?) to stick it to the wall, and on top of it

Thank you in advance for your advice!

Diana

Hello everyone! Greetings from Bulgaria.

We are planning the renovation of a brick house which we bought unfinished (just bricks and concrete). We are planning to plaster the interiors with a clay mix from our land and still wondering what to do in terms of exterior insulation. There aren't any breathable alternatives here in Bulgaria other than mineral wool, which is an imported and energy-intensive material. A friend mentioned the idea of hemp-lime or hemp-earth plaster, which if made thick (about 10 cm) would have insulation properties.

My questions are:
1. How insulative would this plaster be, is there any technical data out there?
2. Does anyone have a 'recipe' for the proportions used and are any other materials are added to the mix in addition to fibers and lime?
3. Can you recommend a better (more insulative) and inexpensive alternative?

I thought about using some kind of sheep's wool made into sheets below the plaster for an additional layer of insulation...

Thank you very much!
All the best,
Diana